Bringing electric vehicles into the mainstream has always been the most important mission for Tesla Motors. Elon Musk, the car maker’s CEO, was well aware that it would always be an extremely tough task, but he never gave up on his dream of bringing affordable zero-emission vehicles to the masses.
That dream is now close to realization. Musk has been declaring his intentions for introducing a low-cost electric car for a long time, and now it’s finally here. At the company’s design center in Los Angeles, Tesla has finally unveiled the highly-anticipated Model 3, and the first impressions are overwhelmingly positive.
Long Range and Sporty Performance
When talking about electric cars, range is one of the first things that come to mind. The public obviously expected the latest Tesla car to deliver a significantly longer range than other electric cars on the market, and the Model 3 doesn’t disappoint in this department.
The company says that it can travel up to 215 miles per one charge, which is a bit inferior to the capabilities of the Model S and the Model X, but still far better than most of its potential rivals. According to Tesla, the Model 3 can go from 0 to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds, an acceleration time that is in large part a result of the vehicle’s great aerodynamic shape. What’s more, all versions of the Model 3 will support Tesla’s Supercharger network.
Beautiful Design and a Fair Amount Luxury Features
When it comes to the car’s looks, the four-door sedan has an undeniably beautiful design, following in the footsteps of Tesla’s previous models. The Model 3 sports a very sleek and modern look, with a body reminiscent of a hatchback, even though the company classifies it as a sedan. It has several notable features, such as the roof that is entirely made of glass, along with an unusually long windshield, and an extra-large front bumper instead of a grille, which is probably the most extraordinary detail on the car’s exterior.
On the inside, the Model 3 stays true to Tesla’s tradition of offering a high level of comfort, with sufficient room to seat five adult passengers, along with a noticeable presence of luxury, which has been scaled down, though, in comparison to the Model S and the Model X, which had to be done in order to make it more affordable.
It comes equipped with a horizontally-oriented 15-inch touchscreen mounted on the center console, basically replacing the traditional instrument cluster, and it’s the first thing that you notice once you open the doors. The fact that the Model 3 has Tesla’s Autopilot system as part of the standard equipment is also worth mentioning.
With a price tag of $35,000, which will be cut to $27,500 with federal and state tax credits, the Model 3 is substantially cheaper than the other models sold by Tesla, but it still can not be considered a car for the masses. It is in the same price range with the Nissan Leaf, the BMW i3 and the Hyundai Ioniq, which fall into the entry-level luxury class.
The Model 3 is the last step of Musk’s three-step process of creating the conditions for a mass adoption of electric vehicles, and while it will not be the most affordable EV on the market, it will be an important piece of the puzzle. With around 150,000 preorders more than a year before its launch, the latest Tesla vehicle already seems to be much closer to the mainstream than the Model S and the Model X, and it will certainly reach drastically higher sales numbers, but for an electric vehicle to be affordable to the average consumer, it would have to cost less than $35,000, or even $27,500 after tax credits.